


Strawberry Trust

by AvaDiablo



Category: Arashi (Band)
Genre: Hostage Situations, M/M, Murder, Robbery, Strawberries, Thriller, Trust
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-14
Updated: 2015-08-06
Packaged: 2018-04-09 07:55:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 19,250
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4340234
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AvaDiablo/pseuds/AvaDiablo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>House sitting seems like a good idea to learn his lines for the upcoming drama Nino wants to play in. Apart from the weird eccentric owners Nino has a great time, until...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Hill House

**Author's Note:**

> Archive warnings apply to the last chapters.

_Breathe, just breath!_ Nino orders himself in the bathroom mirror as he stares at his reflection while washing his hands under the cold water to cool his nerves. His hair is slightly long, but combed to perfection to imitate a harder look, his dark eyes stare back and if he doesn't smile too much he could pull off the hard look his is going for. He sighs. _It's just one stupid scene! You can do this! Only five sentences. Go out there and give them hell!_ He breathes and looks around him before slamming his fist down on the sink and says sternly to himself: "You are not a waiter! You are a goddamn actor. You are a GREAT actor!" By the second sentence a man walks out of the fourth bathroom stall and looks at him funny via the mirror. The glance makes him uncomfortable and he looks away, mumbling that he is a good enough actor as he wipes his hands quickly and walks away.

Cold sweat runs down his spine as he watches the casting director talk in hushed tones to the others at his table. He's serious where Nino was all polite smiles, at least he hopes it comes across as polite; he's so nervous he doesn't know how he looks when the director called: "That's enough!" in the middle of his lines. They keep talking, on occasion casting him a glance. He doesn't even know which character he will get to play, he just chose from the bit of script they had send him via his agency.

"Ninomiya-san, please read the part of Gary on the second page. You'll read it with Emma here," the half bald guy in the oversized black sweater tells him as he gestures to the redhead with the flaming orange streaks in her short wavy hair. She looks uninterested as she sighs, taking the thicker copy of the script. The fact that he gets to read a second time and with a partner no less, puts him even more on edge. It doesn't happen often, and it almost never happens that he gets to read a part he didn't think he'd even get. As he recalled Gary is one of the leads in this new drama they are casing for.

"How could you, Gary!" Emma read putting enough boredom in her voice to make Nino cringe. He knows this part of the script is an heated argument between two lovers.  
"How could I?" Nino counters, not needing the script to read from. He gestures to her in faked astonishment, "How could you?! You cheated on me, with Hank, no less! Of all people, you go for someone like him?!" The girl smiles slightly, just slightly, as she looks at him. Nino gets the impression he imagined it.  
"Hank gives me the security you lack! I need to feel secure. You are always making things complicated, Gary! Hot, steamy, but too damn complicated!"  
"There are thousands people out there providing your precious security! I didn't deserve getting cheated on with a low life like that!" He feigned hurt, acting cool and collected, putting in an edge in his tone, "You need to make a decision tonight, or I will make it for you - and you ain't gonna like it!" His voice held a dark promise, one he conveyed with is eyes.  
"That's enough!" the director cuts in between as he eyes Emma and glances back to Nino, "You'll hear from us in a second. Take a seat in the lobby, please."

Sweat runs down his temples as he is shown into lobby where others are waiting to audition; they look at him as he gets directed to a place where only four others are seated. They all look a bit worn out, and Nino joins them in that feeling. Not because auditioning was hard, but because he desperately wants this part. Two girls and one other guy are leafing through magazines, one slightly older woman is writing on a notepad. Nino takes his handheld DS to play a game or two with the sound low. None of them talk. One after the other people waiting the lobby is shown in and they all get turned away in a matter of minutes. Nino smiled a bit smugly that he may have set the bar high enough for no one to pass it. Only one other girl joins them as they wait. Hours later Nino is bored beyond believe. After only having had two coffee refills, played his game over and over and read nearly all the magazines on the coffee table between them, he is growing restless. 

Emma shows herself as she provides them with copies of the thicker script she was reading from earlier.  
"Read it, learn it. We'll see you on Tuesday. Have a great weekend!" and with that she walks away. The group glance at each other, sizing each other up; they are each others competition after all. But then they all look a bit selfish as they hurry out of the lobby. He watches them go and sits down again leafing through the script, noting the different parts for different characters in the drama he is auditioning for. The Gary part is one of the leads, and he was already happy with a minor part. He was nervous and psyched to even be invited to audition at all. Maybe this is his big break, the one he knew he was waiting for.

Putting his DS away and the script in a binder he recites the first lines of the Hank character he glanced at reading the papers. He didn't really get the female lead, bouncing two guys around. He knew women did it as often as men did, but it didn't feel natural to him. He also wondered how would end up with her at the end. He sighed as his watch began to beep. Glancing at the time he gathered his stuff and jolted out the building.

"You are late!" hissed his co-worker as she dangled with the four plates on her arm, inching passed him as he puts on his dark jacket. He looks dashing in his uniform, with the red tie. "You're gonna get fired, if you keep this up!" Nino simply grins, knowing Kota-chan already made up some excuse for him. He throws her an air kiss and swipes her a killer smile, watching as she turns, blushing, and disappears into the dining area. Another table is called by the chef and Nino takes the plates. His boss watches him with a cold stare, but Nino smiles broadly. He's here after all, only about half an hour late. It's not that big of a deal, he hopes.  
They work through the rush our of dinner at the high pace they are used to. His boss, scrutinising him at every turn, never says anything. Nino knows why. 

He winks at his boss a couple of times during the rush. The pleasant smile is easy to keep on his face today as he serves the food and makes food recommendations. He is charming and gets the diners to order the most expensive things off the menu. He's on top of his game. Plus he has the weekend off, so he can actually get in some good time to study the lines. His boss simply smirks as he counts the register at the end of the night.  
"I take it, auditions went well!" he mumbles in passing as Nino is staying late to help in the kitchen and wash up. It's his thing to still make the hours he gets paid for, and to work the small overtime for free for the liberty he gets. Besides, he has nothing to go home too anyway, so he doesn't really mind. Kato drops some dirty plates into the double sink. Her hair is tied in a ponytail. She eyes him as she sweetly smiles.

"I need your help, Kazu-chan," she says as she leans back and fishes some left over pasta from one of the plates the chef left for them. Nino, who is eating from his own plate, looks at her expectantly. "Can you house sit for me this weekend?" He is already shaking his head before she finishes speaking.  
"Got lines to learn!" he counters resolutely.  
"You can learn them there. There's no one up there. Just the house. Come on, Kazu! I did you so many favours! Just this once, please!" Kato-chan drags out the 'please' in a whiny voice and pouts a little. Nino grins at it. The pout was familiar as he taught her that.  
"No one is there this weekend?" Kato shakes here head, making her short pony tail move about. "Why do you need me to house sit, anyway?" She looks slightly embarrassed.  
"I have a date with my friend. He wants to take me to the coast. Please, Kazu? Would you?" Nino smirked.  
"If you would really want to beg-" he didn't finish his sentence seeing her already drop to her knees, with him instantly reaching out to pull her up again.  
"For fuck sakes get up, I'll do it!" he countered a little startled as he was only joking. "Go have some fun with that guy you're seeing! Better send me a post card, so I know you went!" Kato surprised him with a hug, making him almost spill his plate of pasta onto his uniform.

**

Nino drives up to the house, which by his standards is nothing short of a mansion. He slings his bag over his shoulder as he watches the wooden door with the intricate carvings. Nino isn't all that tall, but the house is making him feel even a tat smaller than he really likes. He rings the door bell and hears it echoing through the hall. He tries to control his curiosity and not glance through the window beside to door, giving a view of the hall and the huge wooden staircase. He hears footsteps just as he decides to see if anyone if alive in there and wanting the repress the button to ring the bell again As the door finally opens.  
A tall man stands in front of him, looking not too pleased.

"You're late!" he breathes with clenched teeth, "And you made us late because of it! Now I can't show you everything! And I hate when that happens!" He turns around and walks into the house already explaining what is what. Nino drops his bag on the floor and follows the annoyed guy through his house.  
"You can take what ever you like from the fridge; cook or order in, we don't really care. Just clean up after yourself," the guy claims, sounding bored and making Nino question if he gave house tours really often. As they pass the kitchen, the guy points at the phone, "Numbers are all there. We are going on a boat trip; you should get through if we are close to the coast. But I doubt we'll go anywhere." Nino nods, picking up on another vibe of annoyance in the guy's tone which has nothing to do with him. The man is obviously showing the short version of the house tour. He is slender build which is accentuated by the high class suit he wears. He also is slightly taller than Nino. The locks of his black hair are neatly combed and styled to perfection; some how triggering the urge in Nino to mess up that perfectly done hair. He feels it would look way better tousled up a bit. He isn't really that into guys, or girls for that matter, better to be single to avoid trouble, but he sure could appreciate a beautiful person when he sees one. The guy points to a double French sliding door which leads to the garden, staring a bit concerned at Nino half smile,"It's okay if you use the pool. Just shower before going in and don't leave wet towels on the floor." They finish their mini round and end up by the staircase, where he sighs. Since they haven't introduced themselves in the hurry the other has, Nino feel inclined to do it now, wanting to reach out a hand. Before he can even open his mouth the handsome guy cuts him off.

"My partner is in the green house behind the kitchen, go fetch him; I will take the bags to the car!" He rushes up the stairs cursing a bit under his breath about the freaking time and Nino leaves to find his way into their designer kitchen which is cream coloured, with a black marbled counter top and the most appliances build it. As he looks around he spots a cheap dining area with a few chairs and a basic door behind a small hall way leading to another room. The small window is steamed up with thick beads of moist trailing down.  
The door opens easily as Nino tries the handle and a warm wave of humid air immediately makes him feel clammy. The heat inside is more than Nino feels comfortable with, even if he is just wearing a shirt and jeans. The green house is a bit misty, but he can still see the rows of planters with shrubs in them. Four of them in the middle and all around the steamed up windows. In the middle is a workbench with empty planters stacked on in. There's a man busy spraying the plants with a small spray bottle. He's wearing a suit and with the dark sticky hair plastered to his face he looked totally out of place.  
"Hi," Nino tried, not wanting to startle the guy who looked up hearing the voice. He smiled radiantly/  
"Hi back to you, stranger. Came here to steal some strawberries?" the guy grinned holding a handful out to him. Taking a closer look Nino could see the various fruit growing. Some bushes were huge, others kind of tiny. The colour of some was slightly off as he eyed the rows of plants and spotted bluish and purplish berries walking up the man at the end of the room.

"You're here to babysit my precious collection?" the guy said as Nino took a strawberry and examined it. The guy was taller than his companion and Nino had to stare up a bit.  
"If you mean the house, than yes," answered Nino before taking a bite from the strawberry savouring the sweet taste as juice from the rip fruit spilled into his mouth.  
"I meant my strawberries. I need you to watch them carefully and spray them with water two to three times a day. And you should talk to them. Anything will do! They love company! I would hate for them to get lonely!" The guy never stopped smiling watching his plants as he ate one after the other berry, still holding his hand out to Nino indicating he should take them.  
"Don't you have an automatic system for the watering?" Nino said looking around noticing the sprinklers.  
"Yes, they go off twice a day, but my precious are fond of the spray bottle water, since it has some nutrients in them the sprinklers don't offer." The way he talked to the plants, while petting the leaves gave Nino slight creeps. He picked another piece of fruit to put in his mouth to avoid staring too much.

"They are good, right? Sweet and rich, don't you think?" He watches intently as Nino ate the berry making him feel super aware of himself with the dark eyes of the owner on his mouth watching the movements his lips and jaw makes.  
"Here, take a look at this!" The man took Nino's wrist and dragged him to a taller plant suspended by cords to help it grow up. He took a big strawberry and gave it to Nino.  
"This is my price possession. This baby will win the up coming fruit election. Try it, but eat it slow. Like this," the man cut off another one and held it to his lips pushing it slowly in his mouth, flicking his tongue around the fruit as he went. Nino could do nothing be stare, creeped out at the guy tonguing his fruit with his eyes closed. Against Nino's will a heat crawl up his spine and spread over his body, finding it strangely erotic and decided to eat the berry as the owner in front of him did. "It's like teasing the tip of -" The door slammed open with a loud bang, startling both of them.

"Ah, Matsujun!" the taller guy said, grinning to the newcomer.  
"Don't you 'Matsujun' me!" the guy yelled, "Get your ass into the car right now! We are fucking late as it is!" The taller guy blinked disappointed.  
"But I was telling my new friend here-," he started to say, being interjected by Matsujun.  
"I don't care! I never cared! I hope your fruit rots! GET your ASS into the CAR NOW, Aiba-chan! Or so help me, god, I will move it for you!" Matsujun didn't wait for an answer, but stormed out slamming the door shut behind him.  
"Ahh," the other said smiling, still in a great mood, "he knows me so well! I'm always running late because of my hobby. Better not to keep him waiting." Aiba grins as they walk hastily out of the room and out the front door, where a still angry looking Matsujun was waiting inside the luxurious, roofless, sports car.  
"Just don't forget to talk to them! And spray them!" Aiba yells at Nino jumping over the car door onto the next seat. He wasn't even fully seated when the car moved forward leaving a rainy trail of sand and pebbles as his partner seemed to floor it.

The inside of the house was nothing short of a picture in a magazine. Everything was neat and had its place. It hardly looked lived in as he trailed leisurely from room to room. The taste of the strawberry still lingered in his mouth. After Aiba was gone and he was alone he tried eating it like Aiba did, but instantly found it weird. So he just popped it into his mouth and chewed like a normal guy would, but he couldn't deny it was a very tasty piece of fruit.

Walking up to the terrace he looked out over the landscape. The house was built on the hill side, leaving an impressive and secluded view of the world below. A large pool with clear water was another eye catcher. One of the sides was made of natural stones, stacked on top of each other, making a small waterfall. Pots of colourful flowers adorned the sides making the air slightly sweet. Nino stood on the edge watching his reflection in the water and his shadow on the floor of the pool. He danced across the edge, stepping over the flowerpots, smiling to himself as his shadow followed his every move. Yeah, Nino could definitely get used to living here, he smirked as he turned around and around, jumping from one foot to the other for a while. Just as he thought he'd better start unpacking and see what's for dinner he lost his balance stepping half of the edge and splashed into the pool with a shocked scream.

The water was cold. His soaked clothes dragged him down as he struggled to stay afloat, breathing hard, treading water. He looked around finding his baring, shoving his hair out of his eyes. Typical, just typical! Swimming to the side, he tried to pull himself out but found it harder then he had expected. Looking around he noticed there was no stairs leading into or out of the pool. But as the pair who lived here seemed fit as heck, they probably just exited the pool using the strength of their arms. The image flashed before his eyes of both Aiba and Matsujun in nothing but Speedos jumping into the pool and lifting themselves out of it, dripping wet, sun glistening on their backs. It somehow made the struggle to get himself onto the pool's edge that much harder.

Sitting on the side he let out a heavy breath, as he in the moment lay backwards, with his legs and shoes still in the water. He covered his eyes with one arm and let out a short laugh at the absurdness of his situation. He could also picture Matsujun scolding him and throwing him out on his ass if they found him like this. Glancing toward the house he knew that entering the mansion soaked was not a real option, not just because of Matsujun, but because he really didn't feel like mopping the entire floor. Glancing around his eyes found a cabinet at the side of the house. He left wet foot prints on the terrace stones as he walked. Looking at them he sighed. He was definitely not willing to mop the floor. He found large beach towels, they looked more like the size of bed sheets. He stripped down naked and rubbed himself dry before wrapping the towel around his slim body and laying his clothes to dry in the afternoon sun. He could always put them in a dryer later, if he found one.

Finding his way to the hall he looked for his weekend bag, which wasn't there any more. He distinctively remembered dropping it here, running after an annoyed Matsujun. So where was it? Opening the front door he tiptoed to his car, but there was no bag, just the copy of the script lying carelessly on his back seat. Realisation dawned on him that his bag may have mistakenly been taken by Matsujun. Nino sighed entering the house, glancing upstairs. Maybe he could borrow clothes? It's not like they would find out, right?


	2. The Prisoner

Silk. This was silk, there was no doubt about it when he put the expensive shirt on. The dark fabric was soft to the touch. Nino stared in the mirror, watching as he got dressed in the most expensive clothes he could find. The bedroom was a pure mess of clothes; closet doors and drawers opened, lingering clothes discarded on the floor and on the huge poster bed.

He buttoned up the shirt half way and let his fingers caress his skin through the fabric as he kept watching, reciting some hot lines from the script. He wondered if he was more like Hank, the boring but dependable accountant or more like Gary, who'd done time and didn't care so much about image and only served his self-interest as dangerously as he saw fit. With his hair drawn back and dressed in the suit which belonged with the shirt he mumbled to his reflection.  
"I won't change for any one. Life is a thrill ride. Just stick with me and I will show you everything sweet life has to offer." He frowned; even to him that sounded corny. Shaking the jacket off his shoulders he heard the door bell echoing downstairs. Startled, his heart pounding in a wild beat, before remembering that it couldn't be the owners; they would have keys. And he would have been so busted! Nino breathed a sigh to relax.

Putting the jacket where it belonged around his shoulders, even if it was slightly oversized, he ran down the stairs. Taking a deep breath before opening the door, praying it wouldn't be any one familiar with the owners. The first thing he saw was a huge Van sporting the words 'Pest control' in flaming letters. There were various insects depicted being horribly treated, crushed and incinerated. He almost felt sorry for the little buggers.  
The open doors to the Van slammed shut and a guy wearing glasses, hoisting a large container, and a clipboard came to the door. He looked from the board with papers to Nino and to the board again. They were roughly the same height, which made Nino glad he didn't have to look up to him. 

"Aiba-san?" the guy questioned flipping through his documentation, pushing his glasses back on his nose. "I'm here to check your house for termites." Nino stood there for a minute watching the man in the greenish overalls and the chemical container strapped to his back. With the lack of response the guy asked: "This is 44 Avery Road, right? This is your signature?" He showed him the clipboard and Nino feigned a sigh. It seemed legit as in fancy lines Aiba's name was read.  
"I'm not Aiba, I'm his husband Matsujun," Nino lied, adding a spoiled air to his tone of voice. Rich people looked down on the working class after all, "He must have forgotten to inform me of you coming by. Please, come in."  
"Great," the guy said smiling passing him, leaving Nino in the wake of his cheap cologne. "Just show me the basement. I'll be done before you know it!"

Nino took the insect guy to the basement near the kitchen. Being on his own again he checked the fridge for food. The inside was stacked with all sorts of eatables and ... Strawberries. A lot of strawberries. He began to feel as Matsujun must feel. Aiba-chan probably left a trail of fruit everywhere he went.  
"Aiba-chan," Nino whispered dramatically, flinging himself against his reflection in the oven door imitating the guy himself, "why don't you grow some apples instead! I'm sick of your strawberries! I hope they rot!" 

"You don't like strawberries?" the voice of the insect guy sounded close by, the question legit. Startled Nino backed away into the open fridge feeling embarrassed as hell. The guy with the tousled hair and glasses looked at him with a sly smile, making Nino's hair instantly stand on end.  
"There're no termites down there," he continued as if he didn't see Nino collecting his composure by standing straight and closing the fridge door. "You got another place were you keep wood?"  
Nino looked a bit fazed wrecking his brain.  
"The kitchen counters?" he tried eyeing the knife the guy took out of his overalls, making Nino wonder if it was sheathed at all. What kind of guy would walk around with a loose sharp knife in his overalls? The insect guy bends down and knocked on the counters peeling some wood off. "Nope," he concluded, "Some place else?"  
"Maybe the green house?" Nino swallowed picking up the strange vibe the guy was giving off.  
"You have a green house? That would be where they'd be at. Warm air and moist wood."

They walked to the green house where the guy took samples from the series of planters and the work bench.  
"Nothing here," the guy noted checking the small collection of wood chips. Nino sighed crossing his arms.  
"Well, then, I don't know where Aiba-chan spotted those insects!"  
"Maybe you could ask him," the insect guy tried, moving his glasses up the bridge of his nose. His eyes seemed to measure up Nino and he didn't like it. Even if the smile which accompanied the look was friendly. His lips were full and he didn't look half bad. Too bad Nino was getting more interested in getting rid of him. The feeling something wasn't right was playing more and more on his mind.

"He isn't here," Nino reluctantly replied, "Look, why don't you just come back later." _Yeah, just come back later, when I'm not here._  
"Can't," was the reply which made Nino feel a bit desperate to get him out of the house that much more. "My company won't like it. And that would reflect on my pay check. I'm not leaving until I find the little creeps."  
Nino swallowed again, thinking how he preferred the termites to this guy. Nino walked back into the kitchen wrecking his brain on how to lose this guy. The bug man leaned against the wall when Nino turned around, not knowing what to say. "It's obvious there is some mistake here, Takehiro-san" he tried, eyeing the name on the uniform which made the guy laugh.

"That's not my name. Do I look like a Takehiro to you?" Anything which Nino could come up with died on his lips right then and there.  
"What?" he needed to ask the question which was as lame sounding as it would in any movie he'd seen. "My name's not Takehiro, it's Sakurai. Sakurai Sho." Nino swallowed again, trying to figure out what that meant, as his eyes were drawn to the knife Sakurai was playing with. Nino backed away slowly.  
"What ever your name, I think you just overstayed your welcome. I want you to leave!" Sakurai followed him, putting his knife on the kitchen table.  
"What are you planning to do, then, little man? How would you want to make me leave." He wasn't that much shorter than Sakurai, but the in this situation he looked more formidable than Nino. In passing Nino took a drastic decision and grabbed the meat cleaver from the knife block, still backing away holding it up; his hands slightly trembling. He didn't know how to wield a weapon, let alone a cleaver. He didn't even own a cleaver. Sakurai kept following him calmly as if he was in total control of the situation.  
"What are you going to do with that? Make me dinner?!" His smile turned a bit wicked, reflected in his eyes making Nino swing his knife out of desperation. The insect guy stepped back, taking a towel and casually rubbed his hands on it as he watched Nino. The smile playing on his lips was infuriating. The second swing, was met by a well placed smack from the towel whipping across Nino's hands, making him drop the cleaver in painful surprise. Feeling trapped Nino hurried forward in an ultimate but thoughtless plan to escape, tripped over Sho's foot, banging his head against the kitchen counter knocking him out cold.

**

The splash of water in his face was totally uncalled for and Nino spat the foul tasting water out of his mouth. Focussing his blurred vision he saw Sakurai put a vase back, leaving the flowers discarded on the table. Struggling to get up he eyed Sakurai slowly. He'd taken the time to lose his overalls, walking around in a loose grey shirt and stonewashed jeans which had seen better days, judging by the holes in them. They were clearly not designer made. He also found his hands tied behind his back. Nino huffed annoyed. This was not the plan. The plan was to study his lines! He was so going to kill Kato-chan.  
"About time you came to!" sounded Sakurai above him.  
"Look," Nino breathed, "I'm not Matsujun, I'm not Aiba, I'm Ninomiya. Ninomiya Kazunari. I'm just house sitting for them!"  
"Yeah, nice try," countered the guy, grabbing Nino by the neck and put him up right on the couch. He didn't even look that much older than Nino was.  
"It's true! You can check my ID, it's-" _in the bag they took with them._ "You've got to be kidding me," Nino mumbled, feeling the urge to run his hands through his hair in disbelieve.

"Don't play games, Matsujun! Where is your husband?"  
"I told you; I'm not him! I'm Ninomiya."  
"Right, you're the house sitter, all dressed up like that!" Sho gave him a mock glance and indicated to his expensive wardrobe.  
"I am!" Nino exclaimed, "I fell in the pool! They have take my bag with them by mistake, so I borrowed their clothes!" Sho let himself fall on the couch next to Nino, taking his chin and turning it toward him. Nino tried not to look at the depth of those dark eyes. Sho had a handsome face, with a hot stare to match.

"Sure! You're the house sitter. I wonder what that makes me?" he mused, ignoring the desperation in Nino's face, "I could be your gardener! Or the chauffeur, perhaps. Oh, I know, the butler! Yes, I can definitely see myself as your butler." He eyed Nino dryly, no trace of the smile and Nino decided he'd rather have that smile back than this straight, hard line he was throwing his way. It gave him creeps and made it hard to react. This guy was plain scary if he chose to be. "Are you one of those rich people who cheats on their spouse with the hired help?" He leaned over closer, "Since we're both role playing, would you like to? I can be very accommodating." If this situation wasn't bad enough already, Sho winked, Throwing nino even more of balance.  
"But I am the house sitter! Why won't you believe me?" Nino's despair grow with every passing moment. Sakurai gave a small laugh like he had heard better explanations. "Look," Nino tried again, "my car is in the front of the house, you must have seen it. No respectable person drives a piece of crap like that."  
"I actually like old cars," Sho thought out loud, "Your Volkswagen is imported, so you must have some money on you."

Nino shook his head in exasperation, not willing to explain how he got the Volkswagen Beetle, instead of a nice Japanese build car. Truth was, he just didn't have the cash to buy one, and he was already glad he had at least a means of transportation. A thing for which he would be eternally grateful for to his grandmother.  
"Obviously, you are here to rob the place." Nino weighed the words watching Sakurai, who didn't react, "Why don't you just get on with it and leave already!"  
Sho inched closer whispering against his ear, while Nino tried to move away from the closeness: "And deprive you of my sweet company? Not very likely, Matsujun." He sat up straight looking perfectly fine, "I'll wait for your husband to come along. Then we'll get down to business." He stopped for a moment nudging Nino in the shoulder. "You are not very hospitable. I've been here all this time, and not once have you offered me something to drink!"

Nino rolled his eyes at him. "You've got to be kidding me," he breathed through clenched teeth as Sho waited for his comment.  
"No, I'm not. Offer me something to drink."  
"I need to go to the bathroom," Nino countered feigning reluctance.  
"Yeah, I am not that clueless," Sakurai smiled. It almost looked sincere, "You probably think this is my first time robbing a house!"  
"Do you want me to go on the couch instead?" Nino claimed wiggling like he really needed to go.  
"Go ahead."  
Nino frowned, thinking about it and shrugged hearing Sho curse a few second later, hoisting him up.  
"Fine, fine!"  
The only bathroom Nino had seen thus far was upstairs. Standing there he indicated over his shoulder to his bound hands. Sho was eyeing the bedroom where all the clothes still lingered about.  
"Don't make me regret my trust in you, you hear?" he hissed in Nino's ear, cutting the rope with the knife, before shoving him towards the bathroom door. "This door stays open!" Nino just nodded compliantly. He didn't really need to go, but he was glad his hands were unbound and he rubbed his wrists standing near the sink, sitting down on the toilet top to figure out what to do. 

"I don't hear you peeing! What are you planning in there?" came Sho's voice after a minute or two. Nino washed his hands, to regain some control. He was trembling all over, looking quite pale in the bathroom mirror. There had to be a way out!  
"You have ten seconds to show yourself!"  
"I'm just washing up, damnit!" Nino spat back, his tone sounded more annoyed than freaked out for which he was grateful. Drying his hands he spotted a small spray bottle. Blue label Deodorant. It fitted easily into his hand and was nearly undetectable if he held his hand right.  
"Here I am," Nino announced appearing in the door frame.  
"Good boy," Sho grinned petting his head, "Turn around, I'm-"

In the middle of the sentence Nino sprayed his attacker with the aweful smelling stuff, flung the canister to Sho's head and made a break for it. Rushing down the stairs he heard Sho coming after him. At the last few steps, he was shoved by something hard and he tumbled to the floor losing his balance, only to cushion the fall for Sakurai who landed on top of him, knocking the air out of his lungs. He was turned around and straddled before Nino could even form a coherent thought. Sakurai slapped him hard across his face.  
"Goddam it! Don't play games with me, I'm warning you! You won't like it. Now get up!" As he pulled a struggling Nino up his eyes are drawn to something on the wall. Sakurai froze and with a hand on Nino's throat he pressed him against the wall rather harshly. "This is not you!" he hisses, flicking his gaze between Nino and the photo on the wall. Nino sees it from the corner of his eyes. The happy couple on a pier near a yacht sporting the name Matsujun. He didn't know whether to feel relieved or not seeing the hard unpredictable look in Sho's expression.

Being dragged around be Sakurai was no pleasure. His neck hurt from the man handling. Where he had gotten the rope to tie him up with was beyond him but here he was; tied securely to the kitchen chair. He'd given up on struggling out of his bounds, since Sho gave him triumphant looks whenever he moved. His cheeks burned, the one where Sho had hit him throbbed a little.  
"So you wanna tell me where your husband is?" Sho sat across him, cutting a piece of dried sausage and cheese before eating it. Nino's stomach rumbled. Sho had made a mess of the kitchen, there was spilled food everywhere. The table between them was filled with cheeses, dry meat, and strawberries. "I'll trade you," Sho humoured, "the whereabouts of your husband for a piece of cheese? Or meat?"  
"For the last time: I'm not married to any of them! They are out on their boat trip!"  
"Stop saying that! No one is buying that."  
"I'm just here to learn the lines for this piece I'm auditioning for!" He kicked his leg against the table. "Arg!Why does this happen to me?! This is not fair," he whined. Sho just raises an eyebrow.

"Are you really just watching the house for them?" He still seemed to have trouble believing that.  
"Yes! Just let me go already!"  
Sakurai shook his head. "Sorry can't do that. You might want to alert people and-"  
"I won't, I promise!" Nino interjected promptly.  
"Yeah, because you were so trustworthy when you needed to use the bathroom." There was a pause in which he smiled broadly. There was a light in his eyes, "But you know what. I like you. You got some balls. Not a lot of brain, but definitely some balls!" Nino repressed a sigh, letting his head hang down in defeat. He sobbed quietly. All he wanted was some peace and quiet! Now look what he was winding up in. He let the tears fall as he silently cried, listening for some noise or comment. It stayed quiet and when he dared to look up, he saw Sakurai staring at him with an unreadable expression, a slice of cheese on his knife brought half way to his mouth.  
"Are you done?" Sho inquired. Nino looked up, sighed deeply as he clearly wasn't able to fool the bug guy and grinned back.  
"Yeah."

"Hmm... An actor, right? You don't look like it. You look like a waiter, bet you have a waitering job, right?" Nino felt himself getting angry.  
"I AM a goddamned actor!" The outburst left Sho a bit speechless.  
"Alright, you're an actor! Have I seen you in anything?" he asked as he slowly munched on the piece of cheese, pouring his second glass of wine. Nino shrugged, looking away.  
"I wouldn't know," came his quiet response. Sho raised his eyebrows.  
"Let me rephrase that for you; Have you BEEN in anything?" Nino gave him a cocky glance but couldn't quite repress the pout.  
"I've been in a lot of things, thank you very much!" Sho laughed leaning on the table.  
"Sure you have, baby," he said soothing, mocking him.  
The anger surged again. Before Nino could think out his action, he spat Sakurai in his face.


	3. The Neighbour

The rope cut into his wrists as he turned on the double bed. He managed some what, but rolled back as the pose was just all wrong and he lay there huffing and puffing, blowing the hair out of his face. The room was dark, save for the hallway light peeping underneath the door. His wrists were tied to the posters. The rope was long enough to lie without stretched arms, but too short, to turn and lay comfortable in any position. He was alone. Which was good, he figured, but he occasionally glanced to the door. His face burned and he figured it was probably bruised, he felt nauseous to his stomach being hit so hard. Spitting in Sakurai's face was definitely not worth the pain. He refused to think about how quickly things had escalated after his action.  
Being beaten and dragged around to this bed, he almost had the thought he was going to get raped right then and there as Sho tied him up, straddling him in the middle of the bed. By then he had been too frightened to do anything. Now he lay there tossing and turning, thinking he could have taken on Sho in that position. There was some sort of vibe hanging around Sho that made him hard to read. He could be normal at times, to just go off like a bomb in the next. Nino knew he was probably triggering every reaction. But what was he supposed to do then? Just comply without putting up a fight? 

Waking up felt like having a hang over. His skin still burned where Sakurai had hit him. His stomach still felt slightly queasy from being a punching bag. Memories of yesterday flooded his mind and he moaned quietly laying on the bed, listening to the noise of the shower running. The first thing Nino wanted to do however was complain about the morning sun streaming in when he noticed his arms didn't move. The bedroom door was ajar, so was the bathroom door. Clouds of steam drifted into the room, as the shower was turned off and Sho appeared looking at the bed via the over head mirror. He was naked except for a small towel hanging around his hips nearly not covering enough. Nino couldn't resist a glance as his eyes travelled up the back of this well build guy, noticing a small tattoo just above the shoulder blades, to Sho's eyes in the mirror. He grinned lazily as he turned around saying, "Like what you see?" before closing the door.

After Nino could take a shower, under the watchful eyes of Sho, Nino found himself at the kitchen table, dressed in his clothes from yesterday.  
All he did was watch him eat. He didn't feel like begging for food, no matter how much his stomach begged for him. Sho was all smiles and cheery this morning.   
"If you want anything to eat, just say so. Say 'Yes, Sakurai-san. Please feed me.'." Nino refused to sink that low which made his captor all that more cheery. "You wanna talk about yesterday?"  
Nino shook his head, lowering his gaze to the messy table. But apparently Sho did want to talk.

"I told you, didn't I?! You've got some serious balls, Nino-kun." Nino's breath caught as he stared up at him breathing lamely:   
"What?"  
"No brains, but serious balls!" Sho smiled, making Nino think he was referring to the shower this morning. Sho left Nino to his confusion for a while. As he tried to sit up right, not easy with those bounds, wrecking his brain as he went, Sakurai suddenly moved in front of him, making Nino jump out of his skin, tipping the chair backwards. With a heartfelt grunt he hit the floor, hitting his head. The sudden appearance of Sho in his blurry field of vision startled again. Sakurai smirked.  
"What?" he asked annoyed. Between being tied up, scared and landing painfully on the floor twice this weekend, this day was NOT starting out well. Nino breathed through clenched teeth as he looked up to Sho who seemed for the moment a bit concerned. Where these situations going to be repeated the rest of the weekend?  
"You okay? You're kind of jumpy!"   
Nino rolled his eyes again. "You think!? I'm being held here like a hostage!"  
"You're not a hostage," Sho claimed, moving closer and straddling him, grinning wickedly. Nino had no where to move and Sho was taking full advantage of it, "You don't have any money!"  
"Then what am I? Your captive? You've moved on from robbing to kidnapping now?" Sho shook his head, letting his hands rest on opposite sides of Nino's head as he inched a little closer.  
"No, because you were already here; therefore I didn't kidnap you. You're my..." he took a few second to come up with the right name, "Ah, you're my prisoner!" Nino stared into the triumphant dark eyes of the man hovering above him. "It's a good thing, I take prisoners, right?" he breathed leaning close enough to Nino's face that he felt his breath against his skin. But he refused to look away, his last bit of defiance. Sho didn't really expect him to answer that, did he? 

Sakurai reached out and traced the line of Nino's face. His lips were slightly apart as Sho looked down on him. Nino's breath became a little deeper.  
"What are you planning to do?" his voice no more then a whisper, licking his dry lips. His body began react to the closeness, which made Nino twitch in his bounds and become aware of the numb feeling in his hands. Bound and with the pressure of two people on them Nino couldn't even lift a finger. "Sho, my hands."  
The guy on top let his gaze travel over the body below him, before registering what Nino said.  
"Don't you like that feeling of being tied up?"  
"Not when I might lose hands, no!" He crawled off his prisoner and Nino couldn't resist a sigh of relieve as Sho grabbed him by the shoulders and put him upright, chair and all. He proceeded to cut the tied up wrists and pulled them forward gently, making Nino cringe with the movement. Sho grinned.  
"Not much of a pain seeker, are you?" He took Nino's hands and rubbed them slowly to life. The painful stings of blood flow made Nino gasp for air.  
"Don't-Don't touch them, please." If the pain got anymore intense he might actually shed some tears. Sho just smiled.  
"Hurts, huh?" Nino looked a bit surprised at the question as he took his hands carefully out of Sakurai's. The tone of voice in slight contrast with the situation.  
"I really don't get you!" Nino complained, "I'm you prisoner, you're here to rob the place, you tie me up and knock me around. And now you're concerned about my hands! What's your deal?!"

The smile disappeared, replaced by the hard line Nino didn't like much.  
"You show a little kindness and this is what you get!"  
"Well, you can't really blame me!" Nino spat back.  
"Look, waiter boy," the sarcasm in Sakurai's voice dripped with venom, "I don't need to have a deal."  
"If I'm in any kind of danger, I surely have a freaking right to know about it!"  
"Danger?! You think you're in danger? You don't know squat about danger! You're not even close it!"  
That shut Nino up, reluctantly looking away, not knowing how to take this.

"Then what do you call this?" Nino said at last moving, indicating the ropes which still tied him to the chair.  
Sho gave a mock sound, taking up a chair and sitting backwards, resting his arms on the back. Taking his knife, he cut a bit of meat and offered it to Nino's lips, watching him intently. He looked impressed as Nino took the food between his teeth and tried to put it in his mouth without touching the blade; he was still hungry after all.  
"Wine?" his captor offered, to which Nino glared and nodded slowly.  
"Say 'yes, please'."  
Nino repressed the urge to stick his tongue out, say something he'd most likely regret, refusing to look at him as he said the words. The man offered the glass to his mouth with a smirk.  
"You not going to pour half the content over my suit are you?" Nino couldn't resist asking before taking a sip. Sho's eyebrow went up as if he could picture what Nino was implying. Nino regarded the change in his eyes warily.  
"Oh, are you flirting with danger now, Ninomiya-kun?" That made Nino smile lightly. The suggestive tone making him blush.  
"I thought you said I wasn't in any danger," he countered, licking the wine from his lips, before realizing what was happening. Sakurai was inching closer. Nino was fully aware of it. There was this air around them which became slightly sensual. It dawned on Nino that this was absurd. This guy was playing with him. And even though he couldn't deny the attraction of this situation, he needed to stop feeling this way. He needed to get out of here before Sho would change his mind and things would become dangerous. He needed -

The doorbell rang. Nino saw his relief reflected in Sho's eyes. Both staying where they were, until the ringing became knocking and pounding on the glass window by the door.  
"I know you are in there! I can see your cars in the drive way! Hello? Could you open the door, it's kind of an emergency!" a frantic male voice sounded from outside.  
Sho breathed annoyed, cutting all the ropes and putting the knife away, taking out a small gun to which Nino looked in horror. _Sure, you're in no danger at all, Nino!_  
"Get rid of him!"

Nino opened the door to a man with wild hair. He looked like he just stepped out of bed with his shirt and dark jeans.  
"Hi," he waved unnecessary to Nino who smiled politely back, wrecking his brain if this was a means to escape. But behind the open door was Sho, pointing the gun at him and Nino suspected he had no trouble shooting them both is need be.  
"Are you the owner of the house?" Nino nodded.  
"Ah, I'm Ohno Satoshi. I moved in next door. I don't know anyone here so I wanted to through together a small party for the next door neighbours!"  
"That's nice," Nino replied. What else could he say?  
"But I am all out of sake! So I wanted to ask if you have any bottles you might want to lend me. I'm good for it and pay you back. But with the guest coming I can't leave. Please, help me out!"   
He clasped his hands together and looked pleading to Nino. "Please? Could you go look?"  
The best thing to do was refuse. With his haywire brain searching for an easy escape Nino said: "Sure, I'll have a look. Come on in." He could hear Sakurai 'tsk' behind the door as Ohno stepped in. Sho put his gun away before closing the door sneaking in front Nino, startling the heck out of Ohno who obviously didn't expect a second person to be there.  
"Oh, hi!" was the cheery greeting from the new guy as he shook Sho's hand, "Ohno Satoshi. Oh, but you must have heard that already. And you are?"   
"Aiba Masaki," lied Sho to which Nino looked up trying to keep the surprise of his face a much as possible. Sho indicated to Nino, "And this is Matsujun, my husband." After a short awkward pause Sho pulled Nino to his side. "Let's go find some sake, shall we?"

Sho took them to the kitchen and grinned as Ohno looked around a bit stunned by the obvious mess.  
"Oh my. What happened here?" Sho laughed.  
"Nothing you need to know about," he said winking to both Nino and their guest. Ohno smiled a bit, not knowing what to think of it. Nino pretended to miss it all together opening up cupboards in search of a stash of sake. Any decent house hold had a few bottles right? As he opened one after the other, he thought about escape again. Yelling "I'm a prisoner!" was probably not a good idea, seeing as Sho still had the gun. Maybe he could write something on one of the bottles, or-  
"Hunny, the sake is right here," Sakurai said suddenly next to him, with a glance in his eyes and a little shake of his head; a clear warning he knew what was going on in Nino's mind. Sho opened the cupboard and pulled out the only bottle there was. "Ah, last one," Sho remarked handing it to Ohno.  
"I can take it? I really don't want to inconvenience you if this is your last!" He looked pleasant enough as he nodded his thanks. Sho put his arm around the shoulders of there new neighbour, while grabbing Nino's wrist and pulling him along as he showed Ohno out.  
"Well, please say you'll come tonight!" Ohno tried as he took his leave. Sho made an apologetic sound pulling Nino to his side, and keeping him there, grazing his forehead with a slightest touch of his lips.  
"It's been a long week for the both of us, with work and all. We just really need some us time, Ohno-san. But I'll promise we'll come by some other time." the neighbour nodded a bit disappointed.  
"Okay, then. I'll leave you to it."

The moment the door closed was the moment Nino pushed Sho away harshly.  
"What the fuck are you doing?"  
"Well, obviously, I'm doing a better job of acting than you are!"  
Nino huffed, feeling ... He didn't know what he was feeling as he stormed of to the living room and took a seat on the white couch to rearrange his thoughts.  
"Look," Sho said following, "I warned you about playing games. I can be very accommodating in that area. That doesn't mean I want to torment you, or what ever you think I'm doing in the head of yours. Have you considered to possibility I might actually like you?" That made Nino look up with a mock glance in his eyes as he crossed his arms, more in deviance than the need for protection.  
"Yeah, right!" was his biting remark, "Nice try."  
"There you go again, just being hurtful while I'm trying to be sincere. Since I met you, Nino-chan, I've been having these thoughts..." Sho paused rethinking his words as he sat next to Nino on the couch, "I have these thoughts about you, thoughts I can't ignore any longer."

Nino blinked a bit shocked. Usually he'd have an answer to weird situations, but this took him a bit - HEY wait a minute!  
"Are you fucking reading from my script?!" Sho grinned.  
"Yeah!"  
Standing up Nino threw his hands in the air.  
"I can't fucking believe this!" Sho shrugged.   
"I found it in your car as I put my Van and yours in the garage. That's the drama you want to learn the lines for, right?" Nino nodded annoyed, more at himself than Sho, because he just proved he was better than Nino.  
"You're unhappy," Sakurai said observing Nino, "I thought it would be a nice surprise. Are you angry?"  
"No I'm not, just annoyed. I didn't think it was that great a surprise." Sho smiled again, something Nino could get used to as this one reached his eyes.  
"You figured it out fast enough," he countered pleased. Nino frowned as they let the banter between them continue. It was a weird show of some kind of friendly feeling. He questioned himself how that was even possible when Sho's smile faltered watching the time and walking off to the kitchen, dragging Nino along by his arm.

Sho sighed reaching for the wireless phone on the wall and the number of the boat.  
"Call them, actor boy. And make it look good." Nino frowned.  
"What? What am I supposed to do?" Fake a heart attack?  
"I need them here, brainless man! Call them, make up a story! Like your dad had a stroke or something and you need to go see him."  
Nino didn't look convinced.  
"You ARE an actor, are you not? Prove it!" Sho was done punching the numbers and gave the phone to Nino who listened intently to the other side when it connected. " _The number you have reached is momentarily -_ "  
"It's a recording. They must be too far away from shore."  
"Fuck sakes! Try again!" To which Nino pressed the redial button. After a third redial and hearing the same message Nino had quite enough.  
"Same goddamned message!" He yelled, throwing the phone hard against Sho's face and made a run for it, the second time. He opened the front door, but instead of running out he hid behind the open door and saw Sho ran out side a few seconds later, while cursing. With Sho out of the house, Nino threw the door shut and made a break for the back door to the pool. But before he could reach it, he heard the sound of breaking glass!

_Oh, shit!_  
"Nino, I'm gonna find you! And beat the crap out of you before slitting your throat! Where the fuck are you?" Yeah, like Nino was going to say something now! He proceeded to go to the back door, exited the house via the double French doors and ran around to the garage to retrieve his car.  
Where he was awaited by a triumphant and furious looking Sho, holding his car keys.

"Some balls, you have," he remarked again, gesturing Nino to come closer. Funny enough he shook his head, turning around, but too late. He spotted the gardening team, in the same moment as he was caught by Sho, who whirled him around and pressed his full lips on Nino's in one go, wrapping him tied in his arms. With his back to the men doing to lawn, he felt Sho smile to them as he drank Nino's noise from his lips. He then felt the barrel of the gun against his stomach.  
"I suggest you think about this," he mumbled against his lips as he moved with Nino trapped to his side around the house. On the terrace Sakurai let Nino go, who moved backwards instantly creating some space between them.  
"Inside!" Sho pointed with the gun, gripping Nino's neck and pushing him forward.  
Nino shrugged, not knowing what to say and complied as Sakurai dragged him through the house.   
"I would appreciate it if you'd quit pushing me around by my neck. That fucking hurts!" Sho gave him a little shove between the shoulder blades.  
"Better, princess?" he mocked, earning him a heated stare back from Nino.  
"Yes, thank you," he said back, tone as mocking as Sho's, mentally wanting to kick his ass.   
He was a mess, thinking about the kiss, the pressure of their lips together, the small brush of Sho's tongue against his. His heart beat was racing and every time he dared to peek at this captor he felt his hands go clammy.

They wound up in the study, where Sakurai rummaged through the paper works, drawers and binders. He cast a glance at Nino now and again, who sat in the office chair, hands bound looking kind of miserable. Turning over paintings and at last finding a safe behind one. One with a dial and key lock.  
"Suppose you don't have the key, right?" Sho said more to have something to say than meaning it.  
"Sorry," was Nino's expected answer, "Must have left them in my other suit."  
"Haha, funny, wise guy!" the tone was dry, with a clear warning not to cross any lines. But crossing lines was what Nino did best, even if it was unintended.  
"So are you going to wait here until they get back from their trip? You know, you can just go away. I won't tell you were here." Nino needed a way out, he felt he couldn't deal with any of this any more. He was close to his breaking point.  
"Ah, there you go again. You ain't getting rid of me that soon." He looked around frowning. "There must be some thing of value here. They wouldn't need a sitter if there wasn't anything to watch."  
"Ah, shoot!" Nino recalled with a jolt, which made Sho look up, question mark all over his face, "I forgot to talk to the strawberries!" Even Nino felt embarrassed saying that, as Sho burst out laughing. But it could mean that he could get a small break from dealing with his haywire feelings.  
"You're kidding, right?" His laugh faltered as Nino flustered shook his head in earnest.  
"Have to water them too."

The green house was moist, the air thick with humidity. The floor wet with water, plants and earth beds soaked.  
"No need to water them, they have sprinklers."  
"Yeah yeah, I know." Nino looked around sheepishly. "Can you untie me?"   
"You take me for an idiot? You don't need hands to talk," came Sho's reaction leaning against the wet workbench, smiling with his arms crossed, waiting for Nino to talk to a bunch of fruit.   
"But Aiba-chan said-"  
"I don't care a rat's ass about what Aiba-chan said! Talk to the stupid plants, else let's get the hell out of here!"  
"What? You afraid your hair will fizz up? Can't handle a little heat?" Nino could resist as he walked closely by the planters. So walked up to him, placing both hands around him on the wooden construction, pinning him down with Nino's back against Sho's chest. He stood close enough that his crotch pressed against Nino's ass.  
"You want to test that out? The amount of heat I can take?" he told Nino close by his ear, "I'm pretty sure I can take a lot more than you."


	4. Strawberries

Nino swallowed. The nervousness he had around Sakurai flared up tenfold, now that he had no place to go. Feeling trapped and with his hands bound together didn't help the matter; more over it only fed his imagination with the ideas of what could happen.   
"I am not particularly interested in how much heat you can stand," Nino said too soft to be defiant, annoyed at himself for the tone in his voice.   
"Are you sure?" came Sakurai's whisper. His breath grazed the skin of Nino's ear. Nino resisted the urge to sigh; his bound fingers clenched the rim of the planter.  
'You know," Sakurai continued lowering his voice a little as he leaned in some more; pressing his body tighter his Nino's frame, "It might not have been my own words when I recited from your script, it doesn't mean the words are less true." Nino felt his heart skip, just once, when his breath slightly caught.   
Did Sho even know what he was saying? That he really thought about Nino in that way? Nino held his gaze on the plant, feigning futile interest in the growing fruit before him. His mind was trying to figure out what to make from the haywire emotions surfacing one after the other. There was fear feeding the rest, anger of being nothing more than amusement for Sakurai, anxiety of loosing every control he thought he had and undeniable curiosity which triggered another state of mind; lust. He wasn't particularly interested in Sho, but the atmosphere the captor had woven between them was getting more intense as time trickled by. It felt good and dangerous at the same time. It played across his mind that Sho could be anything between some harmless robber to a psycho killer wanting to play around with his victims before... 

Between Sakurai and the already heated climate in the greenhouse the enticement of this situation was getting hard to resist.   
"That's low," Nino said, his voice still soft, looking at Sho from the corner of his eyes as he turned his head slightly.  
"Is it?" Sho sounded mildly surprised and pleased, "So, saying I think of you isn't enough? You want more?" Nino could hear him lick his lips before continuing: "You want me to say something along the lines of 'I love you', waiter boy?" The teasing in Sho's voice escaped Nino completely with the last word. He caught Sho off guard when he backed away harshly shoving Sho with his back into the workbench. Turning around Nino tried to attack him which considering he still had his hands bound wasn't all that easy. The taller one caught his slamming hands easy enough; pulling him flush against him, wrapping his arms tightly around a struggling Nino.   
"Sorry," he softly said but Nino could still hear the smile in his voice over the sincerity, "that was mean of me."   
"Let me go," Nino spat, venom all over his voice. Sakurai lowered his head; his lips finding Nino's whether he was ready for him or not.

Just like the kiss in the yard Nino was completely aware the moment Sho's mouth pressed on his. But the difference in situation was making him comply, even though his mind still opted to struggle. It wasn't like he had much choice, right? Nino felt like he could explain everything away by just blaming Sho for everything. Sho's lips were warm and full as they moved across his. Nino wanted to give in; his brain however still didn't think it was a wise decision yet.   
The hands with which Sakurai held Nino's frame locked in his embrace loosened just a bit. If Nino truly felt like walking out of those arms, he missed his chance in that moment when he started to answer the kiss despite all the warning signs and reservations. Nino broke the kiss just to put his bound hands around Sho's neck and deepening the following kiss and catching his captor a little by surprise. With Nino's surrender Sho manoeuvred them against one of the wooden supporting beams where batches of young plants where suspended. Sho leaned heavily into the younger one, exploring his mouth with the tip of his tongue, drawing the other out. He moved his hands over Nino's shirt, under it, feeling the heat of his skin. All Nino could do was breathe and hang on with his hands gripped firmly in Sho's hair, tugging as his mouth left Nino's and went on to explore the line of his jaw, the side of his throat.

The rapid breathing made Sho smile onto Nino's skin.   
"Tell me you don't want this," Sakurai teased against his skin. The quick remarks coming so easy from the guy where non existing now. What he found right now was a silent and compliant Nino. On the one hand Sho like it. It was easy to find his way over the younger man's body, with his hands trailing up his sides, rounding his shoulders and lowering down his chest and stomach in slow movements, making his squirm and remember each tender spot triggering a breathless reaction. As Sho moved his mouth sucking and teasing the skin with his tongue his hands moved over Nino's T-shirt. He traced the bare skin of his arms, finding the rope which bound them together and lifted them up hooking them on an empty hook and making Nino stand on his toes in the process.   
Nino looked up to his hand, neatly caught there and found he was unable to slip them off. His gaze went to Sho, to the smirk and dark glint in his eyes. He couldn't suppress the hard swallow the look on Sho's face triggered. Sho's smile turned a bit wicked as he eyes the workbench and rummaged through the content of one of its drawers. He couldn't help a panicked thought thinking how much of Sho being a psycho was true, when he saw him returning. He showed Nino the trimming sheers. Nino backed away in panicked reflex, not which made the slightest difference since he could go anyway in his position.

"Let's play a game, shall we?" He waited for a reaction, but Nino wasn't sure what he had to say about this. Normally he was the one playing games. "Scared?" his captor breathed as he moved closer leaning in for a kiss. The kiss was not being answered by Nino who still eyed the potential weapon. He should be glad the safety was still on, he figured, as the blades where securely locked together. But the implications made Nino more on edge then already was.  
"No," was the short answer, making Sakurai laugh, "I'm just hoping you're going to use that to cut me loose so we can stop playing games all together" It sounded kind of hopeful.  
"That's not part of my plan. I actually like you better in this position," Sakurai's voice trailed off as his hands sneaked around Nino's jaw, a thumb pressing on his chin opening his mouth a little. The gesture was sensual, if it wasn't for the face that the cold metal. The sheers were resting against the scalp of his ear distracting Nino immensely. The hand with the sheer kept resting where it was against Nino's face while the other snaked down and found Nino's skin underneath his shirt. Every movement Sho made seemed bend on making him jump a little. Sho's quiet laughs weren't helping matters.   
"You've gone all stiff and ridged on me," the taller one said, cupping Nino's ass, pressing their bodies together, making the sheer move and the tip press painfully in his ear. "To bad the only place where I want you be stiff and hard isn't."  
Nino's breath caught, swaying a bit on his toes, pulling on the rope leaving his hands stranded above his head.  
"Maybe you should lose the sheers," he tried, "I know it would help me relax a whole lot more."  
"Now where would the fun be in that?"

**

Nino lay panting on the work bench, close to passing out. Sho had lost balance and was sitting on the floor equally out of breath. But where Sho had only discarded his shirt, Nino was completely naked; save for his ripped and cut open T-shirt. Both were covered in dirt and strawberry stains. One of the planters had fallen over when they had collided against it in their haste to try and dominator the other. There wasn't much Nino could do to even try to dominate the other, but he was nothing if not a good sport for playing the game. He loved playing games when challenged. They had pulled strawberries, including plants and leafs, covering each other. On occasion slipping over squashed ones which made the game that much more fun holding on to each other to keep standing. There were a few scratches on Nino's body where Sho had accidentally cut into his skin playing around with the gardening sheers. Nino wasn't sure how 'accidental' those incidents had been. Sakurai leaned his head against the table leg and viewed his surroundings from there. It kind of amazed him how the view of your surroundings changed the perspective when you sat on the floor. He could see the sacks of potting sand stacked underneath a few planters. Somewhere in his brain there was a connection forming. His exhausted mind wasn't all that up to the task to keep track of what his subconscious was trying to tell him.  
"If there aren't any real valuables in the house, why do they need you to watch the house?" Sho softly said, not really as a question to Nino, but pondering out loud. Nino didn't move on the table. He had one arm draped over his eyes.   
"Huh?" was all the guy said, fatigue was even present in that one sound.  
"They have a safe which needs keys and a code; there is not of real value for the taking. Why do they need a house sitter?"  
"Beats me, I'm just here to watch things."  
"Yeah, you sure are watching things," Sho countered teasingly as he recalled Nino watching him play with himself. He intended it to be just a tease, but then there was something in Nino's gaze as he intently focussed on ever move Sho's hands were making on his own body. He felt heated underneath those clear brown scrutinizing eyes, as Nino was still pretty much tied up with his arms to the support beam. The older guy felt his heart rate go up again by the sheer memory alone.   
Nino had a lazy grin playing on his dry lips.   
"Not my fault," he commented stretching out. It felt good to have his wrists unbound again. Slowly getting up to compensated for the ache in his body cause by past delicious events he licked his lips little. He nudged Sho's shoulder with his toes. He could use food and something to drink, but the thoughts in his head were making his body twitch slightly looking down on the half dressed man on the ground.  
Sho looked a bit puzzled as he gazed up to Nino who mouthed 'food' without a sound, followed by 'other than strawberries', which he needed to repeat as Sho looked kind of clueless at the last part. Strawberries, he thought, recalling how Nino had said he needed to talk to the plants and water them.  
"Is there a particular plant here which ..." Sho caught himself frowning, unable to finish this weird sentence. Nino seemed to catch on quick enough.  
"There is one who will win prices, if that's what you were going for." This sparked some interest.

They were in the living room. The floor was covered in strawberries and dirt. Plants with ripe fruit were dragged all over the place, just for the fun of it. The sun had set already. The French doors were open and showed the terrace alight with a flock of candles. They had spent the late afternoon swimming in the pool leaving a trail of clothes and damp towels on the stones; playing around the house pretending to being the owners who were coming back tomorrow evening. Nino lay with his head on Sakurai's lap, who teasingly kept feeding him fruit and cheese. Sho had taken the price winning, suspended strawberry bush and hid it in his insect Van. But neither Sho nor Nino was thinking about the plant right now. They had dressed up in the high class suits leaving the bedroom a bigger mess than Nino had in the beginning before Sho had showed up.  
"So you'll just walk away tomorrow morning?" Nino asked looking up at Sho's hand with a half eaten piece of fruit in it.  
"We both will," he answered to which Nino smiled with some irony.  
"Not likely. They know who I am."   
"But you were here, tied up as I ... robbed the place."  
Nino felt like he wanted to say something else; he could see it in his eyes. But Sho covered it neatly up by asking Nino if he would like to dance, when he pressed the left over fruit to his lips and licking the juice of them himself. Clouded senses made Nino agree. It didn't escape Nino how he was currently happy to agree with Sakurai on anything.

"For someone who 'isn't really into guys' you sure are into me," Sho whispered before taking a sip from his champagne glass he held in the other hand as he pulled Nino closer. Nino looked more smug than embarrassed.  
"You make it hard for me to dislike you. You're not so scary, you know." But Nino still wondered if that was really all that true. Even though he hadn't seen the gun lately, didn't mean he didn't keep it close somewhere. Sho grazed the skin of Nino's neck and Nino couldn't help a shaky sigh in response to the action.   
"You like being them, huh," Sho continued, both with his low voice as his lips slowly travelled up Nino's neck and bit a bit harshly in his lobe. Nino winced and the bite but loved the feel of his tongue gently moving over the mark. Sho sucked on it for a bit, enticing a mumbled response he couldn't quite make out.  
"I said," Nino breathed taking some distance to clear his head, "It's easy to be them. They have it all, right?" The darkness which crossed the eyes of his lover sparked the same feeling he had a little while before. There was something which wasn't adding up.  
"I don't know if they have it all. They're bound to have some skeletons in their closet. Every one has, and in personal opinion, the rich often tend to have more than one." Sho pulled Nino close again, "Do you wanna play them now? Wait here!"  
Sho walked out the door, leaving Nino with his glass of champagne.  
"Hunny! I'm home!" Announce Sho walking back into the room. Nino smiled at the performance taking a sip of the Sho's drink, "It's been brutal at the office," Sho complained, "Crushing little peoples dreams and hope and have them for lunch is so tiring!" He walked passed Nino who eyes him and let him self fall on the cough draping an arm dramatically over his eyes. Smugly, Nino crawled over him, drink still in hand.  
"Oh, my poor, Aiba-chan," he whispered, "shall I kiss it all better?"  
"That's all? Just one kiss? You don't make a good wife at all," Sho still complained. Nino emptied his glass on Sho's face, while sticking his tongue out, before making a playful run for it. Sho needed a couple of surprised seconds to catch up to the game Nino wanted to play.

**

Nino's heart pounded and he had trouble keeping the joyous smile from his face as he hid between the behind the Van and his car. The garage was cool and but the situation heightened his senses somewhat. He could already see himself lying on top of the hood of his car. He heard the footsteps as he hid some more. He couldn't remember the last time when he actually played hide and seek, not counting the escape attempts of yesterday. He saw the shadow lurking about. Wouldn't it be fun, if he could scare Sho instead? Nino grinned, circling the van wanting to jump on Sakurai when he came to a shocked halt with a small yelp.  
"Geez, Ohno-san!" he exclaimed, "You scared the shit out of me." The neighbour held up the bottle he borrowed yesterday.  
"I'm so sorry, Matsujun-chan! That was not my intent. You see, you're terrace doors were wide. I came in to see if things were okay. But you wouldn't know the days I've had!" The voice of the guy sounded a bit whiny and Nino breathed in to get rid of the fear.   
"Where's Aiba-chan?" Ohno asked looking around. Nino shrugged, not wanting to clue the stranger into the game they were playing, "Ghosting around somewhere. What can I do for you?"  
"Oh, well, I wanted to return the bottle to you. Seeing as it was the last and I didn't really need it. No one came to my welcome party. It was so embarrassing, I cried the whole night and half of the day!" Nino put his hand on the back on his neighbour and guided him back to the living room.  
"That's really too bad. This is not really a social neighbourhood, anyway." Ohno sniffled at that.  
"I suppose you are right, but I just feel so devastated. And you two were so nice to me." Instead of walking with Nino to the double doors Ohno took a seat on the couch to immediately get up again and touch his behind.   
"Oh, that's wet! What happened?" Nino suppressed a roll with his eyes at the obvious attempt of Ohno not wanting to go away that soon.  
"Just some champagne I spilled. It will come right out of your clothes. And if not, just bill me," Nino smiled which he felt like doing. That last line rolled so neatly off his tongue. 'Bill me,' he had always wanted to say that. Of course Ohno wouldn't exactly bill him, but heck, who cared anyway at this point.

From the living room Ohno looked into the kitchen and actually 'tsked' at Nino.  
"Still a mess, I see."  
"The made has the weekend off. I thought I'd show her what would happen when she wasn't here to take care of us." Which earned him another 'tsk'. Nino good mood dissipated.  
"I think it's time to -"  
"Do you cheat on your husband, Matsujun-chan?" The question was asked seemingly out of nowhere catching Nino completely by surprise.   
"I don't," Nino said, with a little hesitation, wondering if said neighbour was indeed a friend of the owners. But then he would know Nino wasn't Matsujun. So why not come out and say it?  
"I think you do. I heard you. And my guy confirmed he 'enjoyed' your company very much." Nino was a bit speechless. Did this guy tried to setup Matsujun with someone and it worked? Was Matsujun that upset with his husband he would actually cheat on poor Aiba-chan? But then, he didn't know the couple all the well. In any case, Nino felt slowly creeped out and wasn't planning on staying alone with this neighbour.

"Sak - Aiba-chan! We have-" Nino almost messed up the names. He was pleased and feeling smug he caught it just in time, almost missing the moment where Ohno swung the sake bottle in his direction, nearly missing his head, with the intent of knocking out.   
"What the heck, Ohno-san?!" Nino yelled ducking away and moving backwards.  
"I hate cheaters, Matsujun!" Ohno said with a dead serious tone, "I need you to die!" Nino's eyes went big as he backed away further, his eyes glued on this new threat. And here he thought Sho was the bad guy. Ohno flung the bottle in his direction, missed again, smashed half of it in pieces against his car, spilling the content onto the floor. Being clever enough, Nino didn't wait around to view the mess, but ran for cover. Somehow his brain miscalculated his escape route as he ended up in the greenhouse, feeling instantly trapped coming to a dead stop. What the fuck was Ohno's deal? Wanting him dead because he cheated - or rather Matsujun cheated; if he even had.   
"Oh, fuck this shit!" Nino exclaimed softly shooting underneath a row of planters by the window and hoped to be hidden well out of sight. His mind was racing, he wanted to alert Sho, but doing so - Where was the robber when you needed him to actually do something?!  
Ohno entered the greenhouse, locking the door behind him and stilling Nino's train of thought for the moment. Nino had covered his mouth with his hand and hoped the stifle any hard breathing. If his heart was pounding when he was playing with Sho, it was nothing to what it was doing now.  
"Matsujun-kun, this doesn't have to be this way. Why not come out and let me kill you. It would be over really soon, I promise." Nino wiggled silently closer to the window, feeling the moist creep into the back side of his shirt, hearing the scratches the broken glass he was still holding made on the wood work.


	5. Trust

"There's really no point in hiding, Matsujun-chan," Ohno said with a velvet voice, "Let just get this over with quickly."  
Nino had a hard time breathing. First of all he didn't want to give up where he was hiding; second, his heart was beating so fast and restless with skipping beats every time Ohno move from his position or made a sound. It was making his breathing almost uncontrollable. Still covering his mouth to minimize any sound he might make, he wished for Sho to appear. After all, the guy did own a gun. Guns surely outmatched broken glass, right? But as he watched Ohno walk and occasionally duck to peer around a low planter, echoing his request to come out of hiding Nino began to fear that Sakurai might be a wimp burglar after all and had left him there to vent for himself. What if he really had left? More fear trickled in and centered down his spine as he wondered if that was really the case for his absence in all of this.

"Gotcha!" The exclaim from the wanna-be-killer came so sudden, Nino moved backwards; startled, staring bewildered and inadvertently shaking the planter as he backed into the beam of it. But Ohno was no where near him. Until now he had still been oblivious to the hiding place. And now Nino had gone and given away his hiding place. Nino saw Ohno's legs move towards him and desperation started to take root in his already no-means-to-escape-occupied mind. Sho had definitely been right when he said Nino hadn't seen real danger. And he really prefered Sho's danger to this one.

Nino shot out his hiding place, trying to make a run for it when Ohno caught him by the wrist. Nino veered around, trying to pull loose with all his might.  
"I'm not who you think I am!" It came out in a rush of desperation. It was an actual line from the script he was supposed to be studying. But it never felt so right to say it.  
"Save it for some one who cares. I know what you did, you filthy whore!" was Ohno's biting reply. Nino struggled to the best of his ability, keeping track of where the glass bottle was moving and keeping as far away from it as his could manage.  
"Let me go, I'm not Matsujun! I'm Ninomiya Kazunari." There was only laughter in response.  
"Is that what you told my friend too? The one who fucked you up side down and inside out? Are you into playing games, Matsujun?" A hard pull was all it took to land Nino against Ohno's chest. In one smooth motion Ohno had him turned; Nino's back resting against him, the glass touching his cheek, cutting in and moving down. Nino wimpered as the glass made his skin burn, making him tear up.  
"Please, please, believe me. I'm not Matsujun!" Nino yelled; tears from the pain rolling over his cheeks, making the wound hurt more as he fought for his freedom.  
The gun shot was sudden, shattering the glass of the greenhouse, making them both scream in surprise. In an instant Nino was free as Satoshi took a step backwards, dropping the bottle gripping his other shoulder in the process. Blood quickly made a messy stain on wanna-be-murder's shirt. He looked very much surprised as Sakurai jump through the broken window, shoving the planters out of the way and knocking out Ohno cold as he went.  
"Fucking lunatic!" shouted Sho, kicking the man already on the ground, "This is precisely why people don't trust their freaking neighbours!" He gave the man on the floor an extra kick into his stomach before turning to Nino who was just as surprised with the events of the last minute as Ohno had been.

"Are you okay?" Sho asked, eyeing the bleeding wound on Nino's cheek with concern before meeting the other's eyes. The question met with silence. He wrapped Nino up in his arms, hugging the shorter man tightly.  
"I thought you'd left me," Nino answered a bit dazed, "I honestly thought, you'd left me alone in this." His eyes going from Sho to the man on the floor.  
"I'd never leave you," Sakurai mumbled softly, barely audible. He remained silent and just kept his arms around Nino's frame. "Let's get him out of the way, and get you cleaned up," he followed. It dawned on Sakurai they needed to tie up the killer in the basement. Killing people was not his thing and Ohno was basically the owner's problem. But with being save came the anger that didn't settle down so easy. Nino restlessly pushed his lover out of the way and kicked Ohno too.  
"What. The. Fuck. Is. Your. Problem!" With every word, each word louder spoken than the previous one, he kicked the motionless figure on the ground. In a fantasy movie world Sho would've reached out to stop and comfort Nino, but here in this situation, he just watched for a moment. Nino cooled down quick enough. It's not much fun kicking a lifeless object to death any way. Nino stood panting over the figure glancing up to Sho. He looked like he was ready to bolt.  
"Don't you leave me here to clean up this mess, Nino-chan." He motioned to Ohno's legs, "Let's just put him away before he comes too and kill you for real."  
"Shouldn't we call the police or something?" Nino said stupidly. Of course they couldn't. He couldn't explain the state of the house, he couldn't explain away Sho. And he still had freaking line to learn! 

Tying Ohno to a concrete beam was easy enough. Nino sat on the wooden stairs watching Sho work his way around the killer's body with rope they took from the greenhouse. When the robber was done, there was more rope visible than there was of Ohno's figure. He was also coming too when Sho decided to wrap bandages around the shot wound, which was more a flesh wound than anything else. He quietly sat there watching the other two.  
"What do you plan to do with me?" he asked at last when Sho seemed a little bit pleased with his handy work. He showed off his gun to Ohno, looking from the weapon to the neighbour.  
"When I'm done robbing the place, I'm sure some one will discover you. Maybe you can even try to kill Matsujun again, if you play your cards right," the taller one said, to which Ohno's gaze went to Nino.  
"That's not Matsujun," he clarified walking over to Nino, sitting beside him, the gun still aimed at their tied up intruder. Ono looked confused.  
"You see, the real owners are not here. Ninomiya-kun here, is watching their plants for them." Ohno made a smug disbelieving sound.  
"Well, he's not doing a good job then."  
Sho smiled. "That would be my fault. I came here to rob them and made a mess of things. Nino led me to believe he was in fact Matsujun, but I soon discovered he wasn't." There was still disbelieve in the killer's eyes, but there was doubt in his voice.  
"Well, say, I would believe you. Why not let me go. Neither of us can actually call the cops on each other. I will disappear and try again some other time."  
"That's all fine by me, but there is just one small problem. I sure as hell don't trust you."  
"What has trust to do with this?" Sho looked at him with squinting eyes.  
"Say, I let you go. Say, you tell us you believe us. But then you really don't believe any of this and you will try to kill my friend again... I can't have that. I'd have to kill you before you'd kill him, and I am really not in the mood for killing anyone."  
Some how Nino began to doubt that very statement. He had been following the conversation with little interest. But seeing the way Sho held the gun loosely, but surely in his hands, explaining things in a rational voice gave him the distinct idea some other game was being played here. Sakurai knew what he was doing. He didn't let his guard down for a second even if he seemed casually talking to the other. Granted he was tied up, but there was someting in his brain trying to connect the dots. Something didn't add up.

Nino sighed at the dinner table in the kitchen, rubbing his head. The evening had passed into night. But he didn't feel any better.  
"Time to get out of here," Sho announced but Nino shook his head.  
"We shouldn't stay here any longer."  
"I don't want to drive home right now. I'm too damn tired and stressed out. I have an audition in two days, or actually tomorrow morning." Sho frowned concerned.  
"You want to stay the night?"  
"Just have to get some sleep, like an hour or so. Just to get my head in order, so I don't accidentally drive myself off a bridge, or into a bus, or something." Nino didn't sound like himself. There was no cockiness or confidence in his voice. Sho put his gun on the table and went to stand behind Nino to rub his shoulders.  
"Life of crime is not for you, is it?" he said softly joking. Nino shook his head leaning back in his chair, somewhat enjoying the attention.  
"Apparently it suits you just fine," he gave back with half a smile, not looking up. "Why are you here, any way? It's more than just the desire to rob a house, right? A really burglar wouldn't want to stick around an empty house stealing a plant."  
Sakurai stayed unexpectedly quiet and Nino looked up to him, stifling a yawn with his hand, resting his head against Sho's stomach. He could see the internal discussion whether or not to entrust Nino with something that was obviously not for everyone to know. Sakurai's eyes were dark where Nino's were clear. Nino didn't want to push, but he was getting curious to what the other motive was for him being here. 

"Did I tell you," Sho started, slowly massaging Nino's shoulders again, "that I have been in jail?" Nino shook his head. He didn't know how to respond that that. It didn't seem so far off the guy had been in jail. "I just got out only recently." Sho thought out loud. Even though Nino was still looking up, he had left his gaze wondering around the messy kitchen.  
"How recently?" Nino prompted Sho to continue, since the guy was keeping quiet.  
"Only a few days ago."  
"Oh." There was nothing much he could really say to that, "and you thought robbing a house would be the smartest thing to do, when you got out?" Sho smiled.  
"You don't really think I came here just to rob the place, do you?" Well, no, not any more, Nino thought to himself making a face.  
"Aiba-san is the reason I went to jail." Sho confessed and stayed silent again; this time his eyes sought Nino's who looked away as possible scenarios began to form and questions without answers drifted around. Aiba was responsible for Sho-chan being in jail? Did they have a weird affair? Were they both robbers? Did Aiba hired him to do something and it went sour and he was caught?  
"He initially asked my ... brother to stage a robbery. To steal the diamonds hidden in the safe in the study." It didn't escape Nino the slight hesitation when he mentioned his brother. "He asked me if I wanted in and it seemed like and easy way to make some hard cash, you know." He trailed off for a minute reminiscing. "And it was easy enough to get into the house. Aiba had made sure the alarm was off." The mention of the alarm made Nino frown. He hadn't come across any alarm and he wondered where it was hidden. 

"That's what I was doing in the basement when we met. Even if you had known where it was, it wouldn't go off, since I disabled it." That's one of the things Matsujun probably forgot to show him when he was late arriving that day.  
"Anyway, the key to the safe was on the desk, so we took the stuff. The plan was to give it back later, after Aiba claimed to insurance money; we would get paid when we did. Only, it didn't happen that way." Nino looked up again. Sakurai looked infinitely sad and troubled, staring back but not really seeing Nino at all.  
"What happened?"

Sho swallowed, again starting with the massage he didn't know he had stopped.  
"Aiba surprised us when we were on our way out. He took aim at us with a rifle and called out to Matsujun to call the cops since they had 'burglars' in the house." He spat out the word as if it was foul tasting. "We offered the diamonds back instantly. But when he refused to take them, we left them on the floor and made a run for it... and then the bastard actually fired." Another silence and the reality of what had happened dawned on Nino as he watched the other. Even with this sad look on his face, Sho hardened again the memory, clenching his teeth. "He shot my brother in cold blood. And in my panicked state I ran for my life leaving my brother behind." And other pause in which the taller man sighed guild ridden. "Still, I was caught within hours. After all, Aiba knew who we were." Nino processed in the quiet which followed Sho's words.  
"So you are here to take revenge? I thought you didn't know Matsujun. You didn't recognize me as not being him."  
"I had never seen Matsujun, "Sho replied honestly, "not even at the trail. Their kickass lawyer deemed me a 'flight risk', so I wasn't even allowed to attend my bother's funeral." There was another short pause and Nino could feel there was more hanging in the air. "It seemed an open and shut case to me. But I wasn't only trailed for breaking and entering, but I was trailed for taking the diamonds as well. The bastard had them reported as stolen, even when we left them right at his feet. Of course the security cameras offered another situation of what had actually happened. I was sentenced for almost three years for something that didn't even happen while he literally got away with murder." After another painful silence Sho said a little deadpan, "I came here to kill him. Meeting you doesn't change that. I still want him dead for what he did."

Nino watched his hands not knowing what to say. How could you say anything to this? Nino could understand Sho's desire to get even. He'd probably want to do to same. The trouble was he wasn't in that situation and that made it harder to say anything at all. A quick 'So, you want to be killer too', or 'maybe you should enlist Ohno to do it for you' didn't sound like good responses. Also an 'I'm sorry that happened to you' or 'I understand' or 'Do you want help?' Every thing Nino could come up with sounded lame. He didn't want Sakurai to kill any one, no matter how much they had deserved it. He just wanted to robber to be free and rob other people if he so desired, to never ever be caught.  
"I've surprised you with this, huh?" was Sho's soft comment watching Nino take in his story.  
"Yeah, I never would have guessed it was this what was going on, at all."  
"Do you think it's stupid to want to get revenge?"  
"For your brother?" Nino pondered as Sakurai nodded. "No I don't think it's stupid. I also don't think it's wise or smart. You've already been in jail. What if you get caught again, they add murder to your sheet and then what? Is that really worth it?"  
The other shrugged. But the emotions playing in the eyes of the taller one told Nino he was dead wrong and getting even with Aiba would be a life long dream if not pursued in this instance.  
"At least it will make me feel better," Sakurai admitted. It probably would, Nino though, but he wondered if that was still the case years down the line.  
"Have you killed anyone before?" Nino asked, not knowing if he was prepared to get an affirmative answer on that one, to which Sho was quick to reply. Maybe a little too quick.  
"Of course not."  
Nino stifled a yawn. It made the other smile.  
"Excuse me for boring you with my personal history," The burglar commented jokingly, making Nino look at him in horror.  
"I just need some sleep," he replied.  
"Go upstairs then, I'll come wake you in a little while." Nino got up and gave the troubled guy a firm hug.  
"I do understand, though. Don't think I don't." Sakurai leaned into the hug a little.  
"Make sure Ohno doesn't escape. That would totally ruin any chance of sleeping," Nino joked feeling more and more tired with the prospect of lying down for a bit, but not really wanting to leave Sakurai who in return threaten to kick his ass up stairs if he didn't go on his own accord.


	6. Show Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Archive warning applies to this chapter

Nino woke in the bedroom on his own. It wasn't eerily quiet in the house; there were voices; more then one. Nino listened intently as he got up and moved to the stairs to listen to what was going on.  
"I knew you'd be back, you filthy piece of shit. It's wasn't enough that I killed your brother, but now you are here all over again. It's like you want to join your brother in the grave, is that it?" The tone was hostile and mocking, leaving no guesses as to who it belonged to. Sho's voice was absent from the conversation, but Matsujun's was not.  
"What do you mean?" But he was ignored by his lover who continued to belittle Sakurai. "Aiba, just put the gun down," Matsujun tried again to no avail. He voice sounded tense.  
"Just shut up, Jun. Shut the fuck up!"  
"Why does he need to shut up?" Sho mixed himself in the conversation. Nino hadn't known he had been holding his breath until he heard the familiar voice. His brain was already trying to come up with something. Stepping back into the room he found some rope and tried binding it around his wrists and hurried down stairs.  
"Aiba-chan!" He burst into the living room flinging himself against the man holding the gun aimed at Sakurai. "I knew you'd come back to me. I waited all weekend. It was so horrible being here with him. You have no idea what that creep put me through!" Nino pressed himself against Aiba who in shocked response actually put his free arm around the shoulders before pushing him away.  
"What the fuck do you think you are doing?" Aiba exclaimed, but before Nino could respond Matsujun already did.  
"So, that's why you wanted to go back so badly! This is what you had fucking planned all along, wasn't it?!" Aiba looked from Nino to his husband. Nino noticed Sho taking in the new situation with interest and giving him the faintest of smiles, never losing track of the gun.  
"Don't be silly, Jun! You know why I wanted to go back. We called, there was no answer."  
"That's what you had planned!" yelled the slender guy back. Matsujun definitely looked like he wanted to throw a tantrum, no matter what the situation was.  
"We did plan this," Nino said faking desire and relief in his voice, "He said he would pay me if I had an affair with him. He said he'd leave you. Tell him Aiba-chan!"  
"Yeah, tell me 'Aiba-chan'!" imitated Matsujun using Nino's voice, glaring angerly at his husband.  
"You really are an idiot!" yelled Aiba back, still wanting to aim the gun at Sho who sat quietly watching, but taking an aim at Nino and Matsujun too, "I don't know them."  
"Don't lie like that!" Nino said, faking desperation. "You said Matsujun cheated on you, so you'd wanted to get back at him. You told me you loved me! Aiba-chan!"

Aiba took a step backwards trying to keep his eyes on all three people before him.  
"I don't know you! Stop saying that stuff!"  
"But -" Nino said, being cut off by Matsujun again.  
"Of course I cheated on you. But you knew! You filthy piece of shit. Did you tell him you like to watch?"  
Nino's eyes went wide to which Jun said: "Yeah, he does. He loves to watch me get fucked. He gets off on it."  
"MJ shut the fuck up!" Aiba threatened taking full aim at his husband. With the gun no longer aimed at him, Sho took the risk of launching himself against the gunslinger and knocked him to the floor tumbling on top of him. The gun went off and silence followed as Matsujun and Nino looked horrified at each other and then to the two on the floor.

Sakurai moved slowly, using his hands to support himself but raising them as soon as he found his balance. Aiba had aimed the gun at him again.  
"You will not surprise me that easy! I can't kill you that easy! It wouldn't look good for the insurance." Aiba said getting up too. Nino searched Sho's body with his eyes, teeth clenched together, seeing nothing at all.  
"Ohmygod!" was only what Jun said. He took a step forward. Nino already spotted the darkening spot low on Aiba's jeans near his ankle. Blood began to leak and Nino suppressed a grin as it dawned on him that Aiba had shot himself.  
"Don't even fucking think about it, Jun. Put this lowlife in the basement. I'll deal with him later!" He indicated to Nino, not making the mistake of letting Sho unguarded.

Nino's eyes looked troubled, but Sho didn't catch it. He looked grim enough. As he was taken through the kitchen and down the basement Nino tried to talk to Jun, but all it got him was a blow to the head on the basement stairs, almost making him trip and descent in an unfashionable way.  
"Thank god! Someone is here to rescue me!" Ohno tried to move in his bounds. "Those creepy house sitters held me captive to play weird games with me. I'm so glad you found me!" To which Ohno frowned following with a, "Who are you?"  
Nino smiled. Doing the introduction before Jun was over the shock of seeing another man tied up in the basement.  
"Meet Matsujun," he said cheery enough, "Aiba's real husband."  
"Well, I'm so glad you found me!" the wanna-be-killer resumed. Only Nino saw the glint of interest in those dark eyes. "Please, get me out of these ropes!"  
"You really shouldn't," Nino warned comical. "He really wants to kill you, you know." But the warning fell on deaf ears as Jun tried to knock Nino out cold, but only succeeded to punch him to the ground. The bounds he still had loosely on his wrists were easily undone; rubbing his cheek as he watched Jun undid the ropes Sho had tied the killer down with.  
"That is such a bad idea!" Nino mumbled watching Ohno stand and stretch. He smiled pleasantly to Jun extending his hand and even Nino could see the turn of events coming from miles away, when Jun laid his hand in the palm of the killer.  
It happened fast; the pull, the shock in Jun's eyes; the choke hold Ohno held him down with and the rapid single sound of Jun's neck breaking. 

"What the heck is taking you so long, god damn it!" Aiba's voice came from upstairs. Nino kept quiet, not that he could say anything if he wanted to with Ohno holding him in the exact position he just used to snap Jun's neck. The poor guy didn't have a chance. And it freaked Nino out how easy Ohno had made it seem to actually kill some one with his bare hands. In his freaked out state, all he could do was huff and puff, but the killer used his hands to cut of most of the oxygen, making Nino feel light headed.  
"Not a word," Ohno breathed into Nino's ear who wanted to comply by shaking his immobile head. They were hiding underneath the stairs, making the basement look void of people.  
"Jun! Where are you?"  
"Maybe he met his fate down there. Nino can be a really though cookie, if he wants to be. Or maybe Jun thought cheating on you with him was the way to go." Sho joked from upstairs, making Nino's heart jump. But even before he wanted to make noise, Ohno held his arm tighter around his throat making him aware of his position in case he forgot.  
"Not smart thinking, Nino-chan!" Ohno hissed into his ear; his lips briefly touching the skin of his ear as he spoke.  
"Get down there!" Aiba ordered, making Sakurai descend the open stairs. It took about four steps to spot Jun's lifeless body. But he said nothing.  
"There's no one here," he told Aiba reaching the ground and turning around, inevitably seeing Nino held in a death grip. Sakurai swallowed, meeting Nino's eyes. "I have a question, though."  
"What the fuck is it now!?" Aiba said from the open door.  
"Nino and I, we met your new neighbour Ohno-san. He was looking for Jun." There was a quiet note in his voice as Sakurai seeming pieced something together. "Did you hire him to kill you husband?"  
"That good for nothing asshole screwed up. He murdered the wrong freaking whore I was seeing. Why?"  
"I see," said Sakurai. "I had tied him up in the basement as he made quite a nuisance of himself since he wanted to kill Nino, thinking it was your husband. But it seems he is gone too."  
"You did what?" Aiba responded, "You tied him up?"  
"That's right," Sakurai said, still holding Ohno and Nino in his vision. "So, there's you and there's him. And there's Jun, who is ... dead." Sakurai pointed at the body just out of aiba's vision. "I think he's dead. You wanna come see?"  
Aiba was already coming down the stairs before Sho was done speaking.  
As soon as he put a foot on the step in front of Nino and Ohno, Ohno shoved Nino harshly out of the way, gripping Aiba's leg and yanking it with all his might. Aiba screamed, turned with the force Ohno was twisting his ankle around and landed head first on the wooden stairs. He lay motionless awkwardly sprawled out over the steps. The killer grinned triumphantly.  
"I overheard your conversation up stairs," he said simply, grinning ear to ear, "The contract said to kill the cheater. But they both were. So, I did good, right?"

Sakurai nodded, but more out of the weirdness of it all. Nino sat against the wall, holding his hands on his nose, with blood spilling between his fingers, looking quite dazed. The killer turned to him. Nino tried to back up further, having no place to go. There was a click which echoed slightly as Sho aimed to gun at Ohno.  
"I wouldn't do that if I was you. Nino hasn't cheated on anyone, so back off."  
Ohno still grinned stupidly. "You're lover is bleeding."  
"I don't care," Sakurai said dead serious, "Step away from him."  
"I really can't do that," Ohno responded, "I really don't think he is faithful to you. Just look at him!" The killer pointed at Nino who looked up at him in return.  
"I really can care less if he is cheating. He's not mine."  
"I saw you fuck him," countered Ohno.  
"Doesn't mean he's mine. It's just sex. Nothing more. Step away - I'm not warning you again."  
"You're not going to shoot me. You're no killer," the other taunted.  
"Want to test that out? No? I didn't think so. Nino get your ass of the ground and get over here."

As Nino passed Ohno, the killer reached out in lightning speed, taking hold of his victim. However to Nino Sakurai didn't seem all the shocked  
"So what are you going to do now?" came Ohno's taunt again.  
"You really have a death wish, don't you?"  
"You can't shoot me. I'll kill you boyfriend before-"  
"Not my boyfriend," countered Sakurai, pulling the trigger.

Nino stood there, hardly breathing as he held his eyes closed tightly, feeling the grip around his throat loosen up and slipping away. He tried to ignore the splatter of blood which clung to his face.  
"You okay?" came Sho's voice and gently nudge.  
"No. I am NOT freaking OKAY!" Sakurai laughed at that. Nino glanced at the bloody mess which was Ohno's face. He looked back at Sho and found a disappointing and troubled look in the eyes of his lover. He turned over the gun again and again in his hands as he thought.  
"I don't see a way out of this mess, with three bodies." Nino shrugged, touching Sho's arms making the other look at him.  
"Let's just torch the place and get out of here. I've freaking had it."  
"Trouble is," Sho said sadly meeting Nino's eyes, "I can't let you go like that, either."

**

Sho sat at a little bar at god knew where. He lost track of where he was, travelling from one place to the other. The tiny TV showed the remains of the burning Hill house. The images got repeated often the past weeks.  
"Police now assume it's a contract killing gone wrong, but is still searching for any leads to any suspects."  
Sho watched the report with half interest. Until he heard a familiar voice saying the lines he had say a while ago.  
"There you go again, just being hurtful while I'm trying to be sincere. Since I met you, Gary, I've been having these thoughts... I have these thoughts about you, thoughts I can't ignore any longer." Sho said the words softly, substituting Nino's name as his eyes watched the familiar guy in to TV, starring in his precious drama.  
They made a clean get away and agreed to never see each other again. Still, Sakurai longed to see the younger one and had started to watch the show daily as it aired when ever he could.

**

Nino looked pleased as he was handed a wooden box. It sure looked expensive, tied off with a yellow red ribbon in a neat bow tie.  
The card simply read 'Good job'. As he opened the box it revealed a photo of a strawberry bush with a trophy in front of it. Underneath the photo it was written 'who knew!'  
The photo made Nino smile. Taking the photo out he saw a container with a clear plastic top revealing a selection of strawberries with another message, making Nino fluster a little bringing a piece if fruit to his lips.

Think of me when you taste this, waiter boy.


End file.
